Although doctors wanted to transport Komissarova to Moscow, the severity of the injury required immediate surgery.

Putin visit

President Vladimir Putin visited the skier on Saturday evening to wish her a rapid recovery and called her father - who was due to arrive in Sochi from St Petersburg - by telephone after she told him he was extremely worried.

Komissarova's best career result came with a second place at a World Cup event in 2012, but she was not expected to be a medal contender in the women's ski-cross competition.

Her injury is the third suffered by an athlete on the mountains during Sochi 2014.

Canadian slopestyle skier Yuki Tsubota suffered a broken jaw when she landed heavily and her own knee struck her in the face during the final of the competition on Tuesday.

Russian ski jumper Mikhail Maksimochkin then broke two ribs in a training crash on Wednesday.

A track worker at the Sanki Sliding Center also broke both legs on Thursday when he was hit by a forerunner bobsleigh.